Last week, HRH met Mrs Winnie Okidi, Executive Director of the Gulu based organisation War Affected Children Rehabilitation Organisation (WACRO). Okidi was in Norway on a combined information and fundraising visit and had met with a number of other Norwegian NGOs working in Norway as well, and also with the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. (26-AUG-05)
WACRO, Okidi informed, was founded by herself and her Danida employed husband, Eng. Santos, in 2003. The two have since secured significant moral, educational and material assistance two hundreds of orphaned children, most of whom having lost their parents to HIV / Aids or as victims of the war, which has ravaged the North of Uganda now for nearly two decades.
HIV / Aids and other health hazards
In addition, WACRO has conducted numerous workshops sensitizing people to the likelihood of contracting HIV / Aids, to the deadly viral infection´s extensive consequences, for the diseased as well as for his or her relatives and finally on how to protect oneself from contracting this illness. WACRO has also informed people on how to protect oneself from other health hazards and provided support to income-generating activities for those affected.
Securing education
WACRO´s Child Sponsorship programme helps disadvantaged children by providing financial assistance to cover their school fees, and also by way of paying for the material resources required for them to continue their education. While other WACRO activities focuses also on adolescents and adults, the Child Sponsorship programme is restricted to nursery and primary school kids only. Through all its other activities, WACRO also does extensive data collection and generates updated information material made available to other organisations working in the same area.
